On Jul 15, 2:38*pm, POPS wrote:
Could someone explain the idea, in semi layman's *terms, why it's
important, how it's done, what could be experienced if the balancing
were out of whack, and if it is something that could be checked yourself
with a procedural guide...
I have a full flying elevator. *I'm not experiencing any problems, just
a little

fuzzy on thiSs....

Thanks....

--
POPS

the not so simple answer is "it depends"... You will notice some
classic aircraft (cubs, Taylorcraft etc) do not have either mass or
aerodynamic balances. On my own design however, I was very particular
about mass bala Elevators, as out of all the controe one that will
kill you the quickest! The question whether you need it or not depends
onlevators? how are the elevators actuated? are you likely to be
putting large elevator inputs in at high energy levels? Lower
performance aircraft with a narrow speed range are unlikely to hit the
flutter range for any length of time, so mass balancing is of less
importance. Larger elevators increase the effects of flutter, a




d tend to be more prone to it and, especially if the chord is quite
wide, will need quite a lot of weight or a long moment arm to balance
correctly. If the balance is not accurate and still behind the the
hinge, it will reduce the flutter effect, but not eliminate it -
essentially it makes the elevator behave as if the chord is smaller.
the actuation method is quite important - I use a heavy push - pull
cable on my elevators, and this has a certain amount of inherant
damping effect from the cable friction. Conventional cables may in
some circumstances allow a bit of movement and even resonate to
amplify flutter tendencies. Pushrods are more solid, but also can have
a lot less system friction, so it depends on the installation. Powered
flight controls are non - reversible (the movement of the surface
doesnt get fed back into the system) so are generally resistant to
flutter, but I'm guessing not many homebuilts have fully powered
elevators!. I'd say, If in doubt, balance them as close to neutral as
you can - it gives piece of mind if nothing else.

http://eaaforums.org/showthread.php?...e-for-Elevator